Diane Arbus's Early, Unsettling Gaze at the MET Breuer
A reflective review of the 2018 exhibition 'In the beginning' at the MET Breuer in New York, curated by Jeff L. Rosenheim, focuses on Diane Arbus's early photographs from 1956 to 1962. The author recalls the profound silence of the gallery and the haunting quality of images capturing circus performers, moviegoers, and everyday people. The piece weaves in biographical details from Arbus's diaries and Patricia Bosworth's biography, highlighting her struggle with daily life and her childhood dream of a glass house—a transparent space that mirrors her photographic quest to see and be seen. The exhibition presented a formative period before Arbus became a revolutionary figure in contemporary imagery.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'In the beginning' at MET Breuer, New York, curated by Jeff L. Rosenheim.
- Showcased Diane Arbus's photographs from 1956 to 1962.
- Images include a woman in cream fur on a bus, cinema audiences, circus and freak show performers.
- Later works feature children in Halloween masks, a contortionist in a hotel room.
- Arbus's high school art teacher asked students to imagine their dream house; Arbus envisioned a glass house.
- Biographical details from Revelations and Patricia Bosworth's biography.
- Arbus often brought her daughters to photograph freak shows and night scenes in Harlem.
- The review is part of Artribune's 'Case d’artista' series by Giulia Oglialoro.
Entities
Artists
- Diane Arbus
- Jeff L. Rosenheim
- Patricia Bosworth
- Giulia Oglialoro
- Luca Ferri
- Claude Cahun
Institutions
- MET Breuer
- Artribune
- Laboratorio41
- University of Bologna
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Harlem
- Bologna
- Italy